maiden in the forest
by frozenmango
Summary: In which Momo remembers the time she heard Kyouka sing in the middle of the forest. (Fantasy AU)


Momo felt as if she were under a spell the first time she heard Kyouka sing.

To describe the experience as enchanting would not do it justice. There are times, when the workload for the sovereign becomes too much, and Momo leans back and closes her eyes, her mind remembering every single detail of that day.

-X-

It started like any other day. Momo woke up the moment sunlight began to streak through her window. She stretched, ate her breakfast, donned her armor, reported to Eraserhead—her commander—and continued on to make her rounds around the perimeter of the capital.

Her station at the time was north of Yuuei, ensuring the area about twenty miles or so were safe, especially the paths where caravans of traders and travelers often take. The path, surrounded by forests, was a popular place for bandits and thieves to hijack passersby, but Momo made sure none of them got their way. Ever since her first encounter with a pesky band of scoundrels, Momo's rounds became uneventful and—dare she say it—boring.

Nevertheless, Momo is one of meticulous and neat work, and that day was no different. She walked up and down the paths with attention. Occasionally, a traveler would pass by her and she would greet them with a smile and a nod, but resumed looking at the empty stretch of dirt and trees in front of her.

The soft _clink_ of her armor filled the air, standing out from the gentle rustling of the leaves above. She breathed heavily, taking in the sweet scent of flowers and the earthy smell of soil. The pale shadows of branches danced on the ground with every breeze, and Momo couldn't help but notice how beautiful the natural scenery of the forest was.

Suddenly, Momo's hand flew to her sword, her hand tightening around the hilt. She listened carefully, ignoring the trees and the faint song of the birds. A moment passed, with seemingly nothing, until Momo heard the faintest voice coming from inside of the forest.

She slipped into the shrubbery, taking note not to make more noise than she had to. She walked carefully, stepping over stray twigs and dead leaves, before pressing her back against a tree. She listened again, the voice significantly louder this time. Momo concentrated on the words, but quickly realized they sounded oddly…lyrical? She leaned over to peek over her shoulder, slowly drawing her sword in the process.

Behind her was a circular clearing in the forest. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, but she managed to make out a female figure sitting on a stump in the middle. The figure was singing, softly plucking her lute that rested on their leg. Momo noticed small forest animals gathering around, obviously attracted by the player's song. The noon sun was directly overhead, the forest canopy shaping its rays into a beam that shone exactly on the singer.

Accompanied by the soft greenery of the forest and the comforting sunlight, Momo felt as if a nymph was entrancing her.

A faint clatter ruined the moment. The animals immediately scattered, and the singer's song was interrupted by a sour note. She looked up, making immediate contact with Momo.

Momo looked down with horror when she realized she had let go of her sword while drawing it.

Cursing under her breath, Momo quickly picked up her sword and sheathed it, revealing herself from her hiding spot. The singer jumped to her feet and looked as if she was ready to bolt, her face flushed red.

"Wait!" Momo called out, reaching out her hand. "I mean no harm! I'm Lieuten—K-Kyouka?"

Kyouka stopped what she was doing, her face getting impossibly darker. "Y-Yaomomo? Wh-what're you doing here?"

"I—I was doing my rounds when I heard something in the forest." Kyouka looked as if she was going to pass out at any moment. "What're _you_ doing here?"

"I—uh"—Kyouka has to pause to clear her throat—"I…" she trailed off, averting her gaze.

"You…?"

"I came to…"

"Kyouka, I'm afraid I don't understa—"

"I came to sing!" Kyouka finally finished. Her face was as red as Ejirou's hair at this point, and Momo wondered how she was still standing.

"…In the middle of nowhere?" Momo asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well—I—it's not…."

"I mean, granted, you _do_ have an audience of some sorts," Momo began, gesturing in the general area where the animals ran, "but…why don't you ever sing in front of the others? I, for one, never even _knew_ you had such an ability."

"My parents were traveling bards, back when they actually, you know, traveled. So…I learned how to play from them." Kyouka shifted her weight back and forth on her feet, absentmindedly plucking the strings on her lute. "But it's not something I…share with people."

"I don't see why not." Momo gave a soft smile. "I think it's a wonderful talent that I think _ought_ to be shared with people."

Kyouka shifted her gaze here and there, looking everywhere but in Momo's direction. "But it's not exactly the…bravest thing, right? I mean take what you do, for example." Kyouka looked at Momo and gestured at her gear. "You walk around the capital and ensure everyone's safe. Being able to fight unexpected thieves—I think you hold an incredible amount of bravery, you know?" She smiled, one that looked awfully like yearning. "I…wish I could have that."

Momo did not reply right away. Her gaze settled on the whip hanging lazily on Kyouka's side. A part of her thought it was funny Kyouka had chosen that as her weapon of choice—it seemed so unlike her, now that Momo thought about it, especially considering Midnight was the mentor as well.

"I like to think what you do is very brave," Momo finally said after a while. She shifted her gaze up and saw that Kyouka was staring at her with wide, bewildered eyes.

"Y-you do?" she asked.

Momo nodded. "I think it takes an incredible amount of bravery to be able to perform in front of an audience, whether they be human or not. A certain kind of bravery no knight can ever muster, and only the talented of bards can. So I think, because of that, your parents and, in turn, _you_ , are very brave people."

Kyouka's blush instantly came back, this time coloring her entire face up until the tips of her ears. "Y-you're too kind, Yaomomo…."

"I only speak the truth," she said with a small smile.

For the first time in their unexpected encounter, Kyouka broke out into a smile, one that showed teeth and caused the edges of her eyes to smile along with her.

And then, she laughed.

It was light and cheerful, a stark contrast from her usual husky voice. Momo felt her heart stop in her chest at the first note, and her breath caught in her throat as she involuntarily held it. She swore she could hear Kyouka's laugh dance in the air before the wind blew it away, the ghost of its melody still ringing in her ears.

If hearing clouds on a pleasant day was possible, Momo believes they would have sounded exactly like Kyouka's laugh from that day.

-X-

"—o? —rozu? Yaoyorozu?"

Momo opens her eyes, and blinks to get adjusted to the sudden light shining in her face. It takes several more blinks and a moment for her to realize she wasn't staring directly at sunlight; it was the glare from Tenya Iida's plate armor.

Tenya adjusts his glasses with a sheepish smile on his face. "Did I disturb you from your nap?"

Momo shakes her head. "I was thinking, not napping." She adjusts herself in her seat, sitting up properly. "Is there something I need to do?"

The young paladin sets his arm in an awkward position, his expression turning suddenly stoic. "I believe it is time for you to do your rounds! Eraserhead asks that you report to him before heading off!"

"Of course," Momo says with a smile, standing from her seat. "Thank you, Captain."

Tenya gives a firm nod before squaring his posture and giving a salute. Momo does the same, and at the same time, the both of them break attention and leave her small office together. They part ways with simple goodbyes when the corridor splits, and Momo is left alone with the faint _clink_ of her armor echoing in the stoned hallway.

As she turns the corner, Momo catches a familiar song drifting through the hall. She continues down her path, the voice getting louder and louder, until she reaches a door that's slightly ajar. She peeks in and sees Kyouka inside with her eyes closed, singing and playing her lute beside Present Mic.

Ever since their encounter in the forest, Kyouka decided to train under Present Mic in order to learn the bardic magics. According to conversations she overheard, Kyouka showcases prodigious ability Present Mic has never seen before in his entire career.

Just thinking about it makes Momo's chest swell with pride.

Kyouka finishes her song, her voice tapering so that the last few plucks of her lute rang in the air. She opens her eyes and looks up slowly, noticing Momo standing in the doorway.

Momo breaks out into a smile and gives a small wave, mouthing "Beautiful!" as she does so.

The bard returns her smile, her face aglow with pride and accomplishment. Momo can't tell if it's because of the golden sunlight beaming through the window or if it's an effect of the song she just sang, but she swears she can see a faint green glow surrounding Kyouka, a color that reminds Momo of that day she saw a figure singing in that forest clearing.

* * *

 **an: ey yo whassup mtv welcome to my momojirou fantasy au fic.**

 **i hope you guys enjoyed it - i struggled for the longest time to write smth momojirou, but the sudden desire to write a fantasy au for bnha characters gave me that shove to write this. im still a little rusty from not being able to write in such a long time, so i hope you'll forgive any mistakes.**

 **if any of you are interested in me writing an actual multi-chapter story of a bnha fantasy au, or even just more oneshots, that'd be great. i'd love to hear some input because honestly, i'd love to write it.**

 **thanks for reading. love you.**


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